A capital built on purpose
When Atatürk chose Ankara as the capital in 1923, it was a town of some twenty thousand people in the middle of the Anatolian plateau. Today it has more than five million inhabitants and is still the opposite of Istanbul: orderly and administrative, with wide avenues and no sea. It is not a city you fall for at first sight, which is why so many travellers skip it.
It deserves two days for two very specific reasons: here is the mausoleum that explains modern Türkiye, and here is the museum that explains the ten thousand years before it.
What to see
Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s mausoleum
It is far more than a tomb: it is where the country comes to see itself. You approach along an avenue of Hittite-style stone lions to a vast ceremonial square, with the changing of the guard every hour and the mausoleum at the far end. Inside is the War of Independence Museum, with Atatürk’s personal belongings, the books he annotated and dioramas of the battles. Give yourself plenty of time and, if you can, go on a weekday morning.
Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
Housed in restored 15th-century Ottoman buildings, a covered bazaar and a caravanserai, this is probably the finest archaeological museum in Türkiye and one of the best of its kind in the world. It takes you in order through the Palaeolithic, Çatalhöyük, the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Urartians and Rome. The Hittite galleries (the reliefs from Carchemish, the stone lions, the cuneiform tablets from Hattusa) are unique: nowhere else can you see that empire like this. At the time of writing (2026), entry costs €13 under the official 2027 rates, which makes it one of the best-value visits in the country.
The citadel (Ankara Kalesi)
The old town sits on a hill inside Byzantine walls built with reused Roman stone. Within them you’ll find wooden Ottoman houses, craft workshops, spice shops and some of the best rooftop terraces in the city. It is the one part of Ankara where you can wander without hurrying.
Temple of Augustus and the Roman Baths
Next to the Hacı Bayram Mosque stands the temple that preserves the most complete copy of the Res Gestae, Augustus’s political testament carved in stone. Ten minutes away are the 3rd-century Roman baths, with the hypocaust (the underfloor heating system) exposed.
Day trips: Gordion and Hattusa
An hour away lies Gordion, the capital of the Phrygians. This is where the Gordian knot was tied, the one Alexander the Great cut through, and it is home to the great burial mound traditionally known as the Tumulus of Midas: a tunnel takes you inside to one of the best-preserved ancient wooden burial chambers in the world. Three hours to the east, Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire, with six kilometres of walls, the Lion Gate and the rock sanctuary of Yazılıkaya. Each makes a full-day trip from Ankara.
When to go
Spring and autumn. Ankara stands at around 900 metres on the Anatolian plateau: winters are genuinely cold, with snow, and summers are hot and dry. From April to May and from September to October the weather is perfect for walking.
Getting there
The high-speed train from Istanbul takes about four to four and a half hours, depending on the service, and arrives in the city centre; the flight takes an hour, plus the journey to and from the airports. If your trip continues to Cappadocia, Ankara is on the way: about three hours by motorway.
What to eat
Ankara’s cooking is the food of the plateau: Ankara tava (lamb baked with rice), good-quality döner, freshly baked simit and, around the citadel, kebab restaurants in old houses. For dessert, try the city’s baklava, a little less sweet than the kind you get in the south.
How many days
Two full days for the city itself. If the Hittite world interests you, add a third for Hattusa: it is one of the sites that make the strongest impression on visitors who arrive knowing nothing about the Hittites.